The best things in life...

are mine...and I am one lucky lady.













I am reminded of this greatly.
How I appreciate my life, and how wonderful it is.

Don't take yours for granted either.

Have a wonderful holiday weekend!

Newborn Poo, er uh, "Pooh"

Last Wednesday marked two milestones in our house.

The first:





Using the last newborn diaper.

The second:





Smiling...for real, and often.

Both have caused large amounts of weeping from me.

Love her more than words.

Dads Are Important

What I wouldn't have given to have had a dad like Hubbs.

What would it have been like to be able to crawl into bed with your papa when you are scared or feeling sad or alone?

So thankful that my babies have that, moments like these are never hard to come by.

The Announcement

Introducing Our Etsy Shop:



the r house couture

Read the details behind it here.

YES my friends and I are crazy.
We just sit and wonder how we can pile one more thing in, but we do and we are excited about it!

I just wanted to share with you my favorite necklace from our shop:

I am SO excited about the next phase we are working on, stay tuned...you won't want to miss all of our fun and awesome adoption related goodies.

Announcement

First, go and watch this.

Second, I have an announcement.

Third, I want you to join me.

AT THIS.

(mrs. r is coming, and so is the gilded pear.)

My Besties

Fall?!

Is it just me, or is this just a wee bit early?

This was my little tree last week.

ORANGE.

It is officially blazing!

Being a photographer:

...is a lot like this video. Oi...the hilarity.

Funny Face

J-Man cut this face out of a pizza carton.

Freaking awesome right?!

Love it.

Homemade Decepticons

3 point 5

3.5 weeks ago.

Wow. Time is flying, and yet at the same time it feels like she has been here forever.

She is familiar. We know her spirit. It is the same spirit that has been fighting to come here for over a year.

I feel a bit sad that I haven't been writing very much. I miss my friends via the blog world. I miss reading your posts and seeing your updates. There is this part of me that is so afraid of missing a moment that I just can't pull myself away from Millz, and away from my other kiddos.

I know in time that things will slowly go back to normal, but until then, I am not ready to give up the infinite amounts of time spent cuddling and holding this new little being.

As soon as I get the pics, I will tell you all about the day she was born.
(I can't wait to share.)

Until then? My phone is off.

I am hiding, and cuddling, and holding onto this time as much as I can.

Life is Hard

I wish the only thing I had to worry about is my headband falling in my eyes.

J-Man and Memms are away for a few days with Hubb's parents.
It is strange having only one other little person to worry about besides ourselves.

We did however get to treat ourselves to Five Guys tonight and we didn't even have to share our drinks.

Although, we keep looking at our watches to see what time we have to pick the kids up. I miss them already, but we will try to enjoy this time alone with Millz.

Bliss.

"Bound" and Determined.

To do what? Get my life story into books and not just online.

I just finished this AH-mazing little book from:

Cherish Bound

It is in the mail as I speak, so as soon as it arrives
I am totally going to take pictures and post them.

I have been wanting to make books from my blog labels for awhile now, and decided to start out with this label:

From the Mouths of Babes
Teary just thinking about it.

Squee! I get such delight out of these posts, it will be so great to have a book that we can look at and read
anytime
we want.
My kids LOVE having books just about them, with THEIR pictures, their story.

How did I hear about Cherish Bound? I had THE most awesome time a few weeks back learning more about them when the put on a fun little evening along with the

Timpanogos Story Telling Festival.

(Looking SUPER forward to attending this with my kidlets...if you have never gone YOU MUST. It made me feel like a kid again, just sitting in awe at the talent of these storytellers.)

The books are so fun, they have so many ideas to get you started on making your own book, and it was super fast.
I made and finished my book in two hours! If you have been contemplating making any type of book for yourself...go and DO IT!

My friend Cass was over here holding Millz while I made my book, she loved my book so much she wants to make one of her own. Thanks for holding babes for me Cass!

In Peace

I will try to ignore the way this 'funeral' came about.

I won't tell you it is because this tiny bird was sitting across the street on the porch of the vacant home probably since Millz was born.
I will try to not get into the fact that every day my children have gone over to look at the dead bird that fell out of the nest.
I will even refrain from telling you that yesterday my kids ripped off one of the dead bird's wings with their
bare hands.

I won't tell you how I freaked out when Memms brought said wing to me, or how I began ranting that we need to respect life, la la la la la.

After I washed hands and gave baths, I reset myself and we taught about respect for living things, and so...

A funeral in pictures:

Two Weeks.

Can someone make time stop?

Blame it on the hormones...

Image copyright Jonathan Canlas Photography

...but when I got on facebook this morning, the tears began because I didn't expect to see a message from our friend Jon saying that:

these babies were online.

I cannot begin to describe what these photographs do to me.

Go here to see them put together into a beautiful story.

I love my job as a photographer.
I have had the opportunity to photograph two birth stories thus far in my journey.
After having my own birth photographed, I recommend it to EVERYONE.

I would be lying if I said I never had second thoughts about it.

I wasn't sure how I felt letting yet another person see my "hooha" (lol) but seeing these photographs, I could care less, and wish I could rewind time and have Jon there to capture the moments that J-Dawg and Memms entered the world.

The spirit that he captured in that tiny room, the moments of my sweet Hubbs watching his little girl are things that I would have never seen or experienced from my point of view and I thank Jon for capturing that for us in a way that is so beautiful and so sweet and so simple.

Teary, even as I write this, the feelings of that day are so strong in my heart and I know that Heavenly Father loves us so much and it was worth every tear, every heartache to get her here to us.

I encourage anyone to hire someone to capture this kind of special day through beautiful photography, you will never regret it.

If not me, well then you better be calling Jon to do it!

Thank you a million, zillion, billion times over and over Jon...and for coming so quickly after such a long day already.

Our hearts are full and so grateful.

Sleeping Beauty

Had a little ten minute photo session with little Millz yesterday.

Ten minutes was all I had in me.

I went to the store, well two of them BY! MYSELF! and
it wore me to the core.
I don't remember being such a weakling after my other kiddos were born.

Anyway, got home and she was so sleepy and so out of it, I decided to try a few things with her and...

Voila!

This is my favorite of the bunch. I just want to eat her and munch on her.

Memms and J-Man adore her to pieces.

Who could resist?

The days are long, the nights are even longer...

...and I wouldn't have it any other way.



Enthralled with her. All three of them.



Hubbs can take pictures too! :)



Her first bath, I had lots of help, maybe a little too much. See the two sponges and the two different hands? Love it!

I feel like it has been a week since I last posted.
Still in a daze over here.

My apologies to all those who didn't get a personal text and or phone call announcing her arrival. That was Hubbs job, and well, if you have a husband you understand.

Off to nap now. Zzzzzzzz.

I've been a little busy...

...loving and cuddling on her.

I don't want to miss a moment.

I'll be back, sometime.

"Millz"

Born: July 22, 2009
Weight: 7 pounds 9 ounces
Length: 21.5 inches long

Thank You.

For your prayers and your thoughts, and for understanding.

I know it is weird and crazy, but it is how I feel. I don't want to feel the way I have been.

I do have faith.

I do have HOPE!

I know everything WILL be okay.

Oh how I love these littles.
It seems like forever ago these were taken, just sitting here on my computer waiting for me to have the time to edit them.

I love these tiny people so much.
Can't wait to run and jump and play with them again soon!

Hope your Sabbath is the best...love Sundays.
Thank you...again. :)